


Takodana Ct

by Ztree



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 2000s References, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Fluff, F/M, M/M, POV Alternating, Slow Burn, Teenage boys are idiots, Time Skips, Yes Writer is a Millennial
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26396017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ztree/pseuds/Ztree
Summary: Living on Takodana Ct in Corellia is a dream come true for Rey. After being passed around foster homes for as long as she can remember, Maz and her son Finn finally feel like home. She also gets the advantage of growing up in a neighborhood full of kids her own age. She has her best friends, Kaydel and Rose, and has a not-so-secret crush on the broody boy next door.First part of the story will follow 11 year old Rey and 18 year old Ben in the summer of 2002. Second part will feature a 10 year time jump and lots of fluff.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 15
Kudos: 44





	1. Spice up your life

"IF YOU WANNABE MY LOVER (lover, lover, lover)”

The three tween girls struck their final pose, holding it until the imagined thunderous applause and calls of “encore” died down.

“Boom!” Kaydel shouted, jumping up from her crouching position in the front of the group.

Rey scurried over to press the red button on the camcorder, adidas track pants making their telltale “swish” as she crossed the room. She made sure not to bump the cam from the precarious position they had in on the bookshelf. It was their best angle for the performance, but she would be heartbroken if anything happened to the camcorder Maz had given her for Christmas.

Rose giggled, which allowed the bright pink lollipop to fall out of her mouth and stick to the basement’s orange shag carpet. “Oops, ah gross. Hey, that was our best take yet!”

“I don’t know,” frowned Rey, thinking back to the round house kick she had bungled during the second verse. “I think we should work on the choreography more or 'Star Search' won’t take us seriously.”

During the summer of 2002 the Kanata’s basement had acted as the backdrop for classic movie scenes, Jane Fonda-style exercise tapes, and most recently pop music videos for the 3 best friends. Tonight was the culmination of a week of Spice Girls research and rehearsals for their home video.

Kaydel rolled her eyes, already elbow deep in a bag of microwave popcorn, taking a seat cross legged on the brown suede ottoman in front of the couch. “Yea, because the choreography is going to be why we don’t get on MTV.”

“'Star search' is CBS, duh” Rose commented through the open door to the bathroom as she rinsed off the lint and questionable fuzz that had adhered to the hard candy of her lollipop. Sticking her head out from behind the door, she made a face. “You guys, I really don’t want to be Baby Spice. She’s so boring, and I don’t even like pink. Can’t I be Scary?”

Suddenly, loud popping noises could be heard through the screen door of the walkout basement. Rey causally crossed the room to peek out of the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of what the older boys were getting up to.

She loved living with the Kanata’s. It had been almost a year since she had been placed with her foster mom, Maz, and Maz's teenage son, Finn. Almost a year since she had finally found herself with a family that accepted her, faults and all. Almost a year since she had moved into their modest rancher on Takodanna Ct in the city of Corellia, and met a neighborhood full of kids around her same age. That first day on Takodana Ct, Rey had made more friends then she had in her whole life so far. 

Rose and Kaydel were a year older than Rey at school, but the girls were inseparable after school and during the summer. Then there were the boys next door. 

Poe, handsome and athletic, would be a sophomore along with Finn at their local high school this fall. Ben, Poe’s tall and mysteriously angsty older brother, had just graduated. Ben had a mop of soft looking dark hair that always seemed to be falling into his eyes, black painted fingernails, and rode a motorcycle. He was absolutely Rey’s ideal of what a boy should be. Just this morning she had been writing in her prized Lisa Frank journal, and decided that Ben had made it to her #1 spot on her ‘Cutest Guys’ list (beating out Lance Bass who had been #1 for a good 2 years).

Kaydel’s exasperated sigh brought Rey back to the discussion at hand.

“No Rose, you’re too cute and nice to be Scary Spice. You don’t choose your Spice Girl personality, your Spice Girl personality chooses you” she explained. “Rey is Sporty because she’s good at soccer and basketball, and hates make-up; I’m Posh because I’m sophisticated and look great in black; You’re Baby because you’re sweet and have a baby face.”

Rose sulked as Rey scoffed, “You’re sophisticated? More like you just like walking around in high heels and making pouty faces”.

Kaydel aimed a popcorn kernel at Rey’s head in retribution, which missed and sailed past the Big Mouth Billy Bass on the wall, setting off a chorus of ‘Take me to the river, drop me in the water’.

“See Ben out there?” asked Kaydel with a side eye at Rey, who had been not-so-subtly squinting into the growing darkness outside. 

“Shut up, no.” answered Rey, jumping away from the sliding door and slumping into the nearest armchair. “Sounded like they were setting off more firecrackers, just wanted to make sure Poe wasn’t on fire again.”

The girls burst out laughing at the memory from a few weeks ago. Poe had gotten too close to their firecracker display, and had somehow caught his khaki shorts on fire. The image of him, khaki shorts aflame, squealing and running down the street, would not be quickly forgotten in their neighborhood. Finn had eventually tackled Poe to the ground, holding him still while Ben smothered the flames consuming his shorts. 

“AFV would have paid up big for a video of that” said Rose, shaking with laughter.

At that moment, the screen door slid open with purpose, Finn leading Poe and Ben in from the dark. They stopped in their tracks at the sight of the three girls laughing hysterically, apparently at them.

“What’s so funny?” questioned Finn, eyes narrowed.

“How are your shorts doing, Poe” gasped out Rey, the other girls doubling over at the lame joke.

“Oh you’re gonna pay for THAT!” Poe shouted, grasping at Rey’s ankles to hang her upside down. The girls erupted in shrieks and scattered throughout the house, Poe in pursuit. Finn and Ben took up places on the couch, firing up the game cube, and exchanging smirks at the riot of noise around them as they settled in to play Resident Evil.

Rey zoomed passed Maz, who was straightening up in the kitchen, and sprinted down the hall, ducking into the open door of Finn's bedroom. She slammed the door, keeping her back to it while trying to smother her laughter as she heard the other girls scampering for escape. Poe must have given up the chase because she couldn't hear his heavier footfalls anymore.

Soon she heard Maz call down the hall that it was time for Rose and Kaydel to be heading home. Rey popped her head out of Finn’s room, making sure the coast was clear before she made her way down to the front porch. The girls hugged goodnight, making plans to meet up first thing in the morning to walk to Jakku pond, all 'Star Search' aspirations abandoned for the moment in the middle-of-summer twilight.

Walking back inside, Rey could hear the boys laughing about something in the basement. Curiosity peaked, and secretly hoping to get a glimpse of Ben’s elusive smile, Rey snuck back down the stairs.

The sight before her made her stomach drop to her toes. The boys were huddled around a book with a colorful cover, Poe grinning and nudging Ben's shoulders while Finn shook his head, looking a little disapproving. 

It was her journal. Poe must have snuck into her room while she was hiding.

Looking up, Poe gave her a big innocent grin. "Hey Rey," he started, "what's this all about? Why am I not your number 1? What's emo Ben got that I don't?"

Rey's face positively burned. Heart pounding, she looked anywhere but at the teenage boys sitting on the couch. She lunged for the nearest throw pillow, weilding it with all the ferocity an 11 year old could muster, and began wailing liberally on Poe. Poe dropped the journal to protect his stupidly perfect face, while Finn attempted to grab her around the waist and pull her off his friend.

"Rey, chill out." Came Ben's low growl. 

"That's private you JERK," yelled Rey, ignoring Ben and Finn, and focusing her anger on her betrayer. Then Poe made a move to get away, and Rey lost her footing. Rey stumbled back, and her hand instinctively reach to catch herself on the nearest furniture. The bookshelf. Her precious camcorder was jostled and left its perch on the second highest shelf. 

It felt to Rey as though time slowed down. Finn and Ben both reached to try and catch it as it plummeted towards the ground, but their reflexes were too slow. They all stood, staring down at the camcorder that was now in multiple pieces on the shag carpet. 

Rey's anger faded and was replaced with a flood of tears. Shame, betrayal, and loss crashed over her. She scooped up the broken pieces of her first ever Christmas present, grabbed the offending journal, and slipped past Maz in the basement doorway who had come to investigate the ruckus. She slammed and locked the door to her room, choosing to ignore Maz's gentle knocks and words of comfort floating through the door.

Rey couldn't believe it. At her previous foster homes she had to fight for her privacy, but never with the Kanata’s. She had let her guard down, not hiding her journal under her mattress like she used to, and this is what she gets.

Sey paced the floor of her bedroom, trying to get a hold of all the turbulent emotions running through her. Maybe the camcorder was salvageable, she would apologize to Maz and try to fix it. But those boys. 

Poe was a Neanderthal, she wasn’t surprised that he would go through her personal things, but it still hurt. 

Finn was supposed to be like a big brother, how could he have just stood by and let Poe read through her personal thoughts?

And then there was Ben. Stupid Ben. Stupid face. Stupid flippy hair. How had she ever let him get to her number 1 spot. 

Halting her pacing she rushed over to her desk drawer and scrambled through the contents until she found her largest black sharpie.  
Rey picked up her journal and violently flipped through until she found her 'Cutest Guys' list. Scribbling madly, she blacked out Ben's name, then wrote in bold letters: 

IF THIS IS BEN READING THIS, I HATE YOU. 

ALSO I HATE POE.


	2. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the uproar at the Kanata's house, Ben heads home and has to deal with some decisions about his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben's POV will always have a little more angst, because it's Ben. 
> 
> Mentions of military service and the War in the Middle East. I don't intend to have any political commentary in this fic, just making character choices that would have been relevant in this time period.

"You're an ass" Ben grumbled at his little brother as they walked back home from the Kanata’s house. Maz had kicked them out after the incident with Rey's diary. They had planned to be battling zombies on Finn's game cube until the wee hours of the morning, but then Poe's had gone and made the little girl cry. 

"What the hell though, why would she rank you number 1?"

"Poe, she's like 10, is your ego really that fragile that it matters if a little girl thinks you're cute?" His brother could be so vain.

Poe huffed, "Pretty sure she's 11, and kids are super honest about this stuff, you know. She must think you look like Pete Wentz or something."

"Shut up." 

The boys fell silent as they approached the Organa-Solo farmhouse. The light was on in the attached garage, but if they stayed quiet they might be able to sneak past their father and not get roped into working on the piece of junk Ford Falcon he was constantly tinkering with. 

"Hey Ben!"

No such luck. Poe gave him a thumbs up and scooted into the house as Ben turned into the garage with a sigh."What?"

"Hand me that spanner" Han Solo called from under the Falcons chassis. 

"1/4 or 5/16?" You didn't grow up in a house with Han Solo and not learn how to work on an engine. Between the big mowers for the family landscaping business, and the falcon that always seemed to need fixing, the best way to get quality time with his father growing up had been to work with him in the garage. As much as Ben resented that fact, he had learned a set of skills most guys his age didn't have. Last summer he had even be been able to get a cheap broken down motorcycle, a 1984 Honda Silencer, and fix it up into a decent ride. Motorcycles felt like freedom. Plus, it pissed off his mother to no end. She called them ‘death traps’.

"1/4" Ben heard his father grunt. He handed over the spanner and waited, leaning on the Flacons hood until his father scooted himself out from under the car. 

"Heard from the recruiter yet?" His father questioned, wiping greasy hands on an already stained set of coveralls.

"They're supposed to be in touch by tomorrow." Answered Ben, trying to cover up the anxious feeling building in his stomach with an off-hand manner. 

"Ah." Was his father's only reply. Han walked over to his work bench, carelessly tossing the tools he had just been working with on the bench before turning to look Ben straight in the eye.

"You're not going to talk me out of it, Dad. Joining the Marines is my chance to get out. I can't be here anymore." Ben kept his voice strong and sure. He had made up his mind. 

"There are colleges that.." Han started, but Ben interrupted.

"I'm done with school, Dad. It's not for me. Pin your hopes on Poe, he won't let you down. Let me go." He hated how dramatic he sounded as he marched out of the garage and made his way into the house, but this was a conversation he was done having. 

He, his mother, and his father had been going around and around the topic for the past year. His parents wanted him to get a higher degree, go to the university his mother taught at, and major in something they could boast about to their friends. 

Ben wanted out. He had always been a different from the other members of his family, quiet and a loner. He didn't fit. He wasn't roguishly charming like his father, or academic and driven like his mother. His uncle always told Ben he was most like his grandfather, but since Anakin Skywalker ended up in prison for 30 years for his mob connections, that didn't give Ben much familial pride. 

The Marines would provide belonging, a purpose, and a way to see the world outside of Corellia. 

Ben made it up to his room without turning on any lights, hoping to avoid a similar discussion with his mother, and sank down onto his twin bed. He took some deep breaths to calm his anxiety level. He could bluster to his parents all day about leaving home, but there was still part of him that was scared stiff to leave. What did he know about the world outside of Takodana Ct? He'd grown up in this middle class neighborhood, occasionally going on expensive vacations with his family where they would stay in fancy resorts and eat world-class meals.

Little Rey probably knew more about life than he did. Poor thing had shown up at the Kanata’s house a year or so ago, trash bag full of clothes, and eyes full of distrust. Finn had told Ben and Poe about how she would hoard food in her room, and ask before using anything in their house, constantly afraid of getting in trouble. What had she gone through before finding the Kanata’s?

Ben felt like a prick comparing his life to Rey's. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth when kids all over the world were suffering. No. He wouldnt continue on this track his parents had him on.  
Let Poe be the 'Golden Solo'. Ben wanted to see more, meet different people, and maybe try to be part of making the world a better place. And right now, in 2002, what better way to do that then to join the Marines during wartime. 

Suddenly the hallway light was blinding him, and Ben could make out the outline of Poe's curly hair in his bedroom doorway. 

"They're still grilling you about joining up, huh?" Poe sounded sympathetic.

Ben allowed his guard to drop for just a second as he scrubbed down his face with a hand, "yea, it's getting really old." 

"They're just scared. And they're going to miss you." Poe said, leaning against the door frame.

Ben scoffed at the thought.

"Don't be an idiot, of course they are. And I'm going to miss you." Poe added, voice lower, not making eye contact.

Ben softened at this. The brothers were close as brothers go, but didn't talk about feelings much. 

"Thanks." Trying to lighten the mood he added, "you'll still have Finn to keep you from catching on fire."

"Dick" Poe shot at him with a smirk, turning to head down the hall to his room. "Night, number 1 cutest guy" he called. 

Ben laughed to himself and dropped back on to his pillow. He would miss his family, but he had to live his life. 

***

The next day dawned clear and hot. The inviting smell of home cooked pancakes wafted through the Organa-Solo home. Leia Organa was an accomplished university professor who prided herself on her work-life balance. Lazy summer mornings were made for big breakfasts. 

Ben sidled down the stairs and into the kitchen, where he was treated with the sight of his mother berating Poe for messing with Rey's diary. Obviously Maz had updated Leia on last night's drama. The moms in this neighborhood never missed a beat. 

"The girl has hardly ever had anything that was just hers, and you go and rummage through her room? I'm so disappointed in you." Leia Organa's "disappointed" look was legendary and could have the toughest of men examining their life choices with just one crooked eyebrow. 

Poe looked heartily ashamed of himself, "Yea, yea, I know I'm a jerk. I'll go over and apologize after pancakes."

Their mother tilted her head slightly to the right, still maintaining eye contact with Poe.  
"Right, okay, okay, I'm going now," Poe slunk out of the kitchen door.

"Invite them over to swim tonight!" Their mother called after him. 

Leia looked quickly at Ben, and then busied herself at the stove where the pancakes were looking a little more burnt than usual.

"Big day today, huh?" She said casually over her shoulder.

"Yep" Ben confirmed, opening the kitchen cabinets to grab the plates for breakfast.

"Your father already left with the crew, but he wanted to know if you cover some of the lawns this weekend. Mitaka slammed his hand in a door or something similarly ridiculous and they'll be shorthanded."

"Yea that's fine. I could use the cash" Ben answered while setting the table. 

A clamoring outside drew both of their attentions to the window. Poe was booking it down the neighbor’s front lawn, Rey following, training the hose on him with deadly accuracy.

Leia covered her mouth with one hand to stifle her laughter and Ben allowed himself a quick chuckle, watching his brother make his way back to their home, completely drenched. Poe totally deserved everything Rey could throw at him. That girl was a force to be reckoned with. 

Dripping, Poe reentered the house, "I think we're cool" he shrugged, feigning indifference to the hosing he had just received. "She's still pissed at you though, Ben."

"What? What did I do?" 

Poe shrugged, ducking into the mud room to grab a towel. "Not sure, but you're fo sho not on her list anymore."

The landline let out a shrill tone just as Poe stepped back into kitchen. With 2 long strides Ben reached the phone before either his brother or his mother.

He never could remember the exact words he heard on the phone call from the recruiting office that day. The basic message was, Paris Island in August, follow up letter with the details will be in the mail this week. 

Placing the receiver down, Ben made eye contact with his mother, and then his little brother. Leia crossed the room to him, wrapped her arms around his torso. His mother was not one for outward signs of affection, so this move caught him off guard. Poe walked over, still dripping, and gave him a manly pat on the arm.

"We'll be proud of you, Ben. Wherever you go." His mother sniffed. 

In an obvious attempt to lighten the mood, Poe added, "You know they're gonna make you shave you're head, right? You're screwed."

***

As daylight faded that evening, the neighborhood kids descended on the Organa-Solo backyard. They had the best pool for night swimming, with tiki torches surrounding a large patio that led down to an inground pool with color changing underwater lights.

Ben, reclining on a lounge chair, watched his parents, Maz, and some other neighborhood parents share a bottle of wine. A plethora of neighborhood kids cycled through playing sharks and minnows, marco polo, and having canon ball contests. Rey, Rose, and the blonde girl, he thought her name was Kay, were especially savage with Poe, dunking him as often as possible. 

Ben noticed Finn making his way over, wrapping himself in a towel and taking a seat on the lounge chair beside him. 

"Poe told me you're leaving next month," he started, "it won't the same without you around here, man." 

The boys fist bumped affectionately, but Ben couldn't think of a response. Not that he believed Finn was lying, he knew Finn would never. However, if he was honest with himself he thought they would probably be better off without him around. This neighborhood was so full of life, and his presence tended to bring the mood down. Like with Rey, she had obviously forgiven Poe's sins, but she had been avoiding eye contact with Ben all night. His presence just made everyone uncomfortable. 

He sighed. It was time to leave it all behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter features a time jump, and we will catch up with the characters after 10 years have passed. Prepare for fluff.


	3. Back in black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A familiar face turns up on Takodana Ct after Han has a health scare.

2012 

Checking the truck’s rearview mirror, Rey could see Rose doing her best impression of an air traffic controller as she directed Rey to back the flatbed trailer a few feet closer to shed behind the Organa-Solo house. 

"Stop! You're good," called Rose, gesturing for Rey to halt her progress. Rey hopped out of the cab of the truck as Poe opened the doors to the shed where they stored all the landscaping equipment when it wasn't in use. The three of them worked quickly to unload the trailer, eager to get out of the afternoon sun. 

"How many jobs are lined up for tomorrow?" questioned Rose, passing Rey with an arm full of weed whackers. 

Working summers for Solo Landscaping and Lawn Maintenance had been a tradition for the neighborhood kids since they were teens. As they all got older, however, they each in turn entered and graduated college, moving on to jobs in their career paths. Rey, with one year left in nursing school, was the only one of their little group that still worked regularly for Han during her summer break. 

That was until 2 weeks ago, when Han was found by his wife, unconscious on the floor of the garage after suffering a heart attack. Thankfully, Leia had found him in time and doctors were able to perform an emergency bypass to save his life. Per his physician’s orders, Han would need months of rest for his body to heal and for him to adjust to a new, heart healthy diet. 

So, now it was all hands on deck, the neighbors making time in their busy schedules to make sure Solo Landscaping honored all it's commitments for the summer. Thankfully Poe had summers off due to working for the school system as a health and physical education teacher, and Rose, having just graduated with her degree in mechanical engineering, was still in the process of interviewing at manufacturing companies in the area. Finn, with his flexible schedule of working three 12 hour shifts a week at the inpatient psych hospital across town, pitched in as much as he could, and even Maz would lend a hand if she was having a good day where her back wasn’t giving her too much trouble. On occasion Rey could even convince some of the younger kids on the street to help for extra spending money under the table.

"Tomorrow is only the Harrison's lawn and then the landscaping outside of the nursing home." answered Rey, jumping onto the trailer to untie the zero turn mower.

"Oh good! Those old ladies always give us cookies when we're there." Smiled Rose.

"Only because they're thirsty and Poe refuses to wear a shirt"

"Hey! You're freakin' welcome. Those cookies are dope. Hey Rey, I think that replacement trimmer string should have been delivered while we were out, can you check the front porch?"

"Sure thing." Rey stood from where she was wiping down the mower, and dusted off her dirty hands on her grass stained jeans.

She crossed the lawn, and, turning the corner to the front of the house, she was surprised to see a sleek black sedan parked in front of the garage. 

That hadn't been there a minute ago. 

After a second her eyes lit upon the mountain of a man, dressed in a black tee shirt and black jeans, standing at the bottom of the front porch steps. He had a pair of large hands resting on his hips, and seemed to be taking in the house.

Rey stepped around the car, checking the tags: A rental. "Excuse me, can I help you?" 

The man in black turned in her direction, and, Holy Hercules. This guy was god-like. He was built like a fridge with muscles for days, had chin length long dark hair swept effortlessly back, a strong nose, and a smattering of beauty marks across his face. Rey brought her eyes up to meet his deep chocolate ones, noticing that he looked a little taken aback at the sight of her.

"Do the Organa-Solos still live here?" M.I.B. questioned in a low rumbly voice. 

"What's it to you?" she tossed back, spotting the delivered package by the front door, and taking the steps two at a time to retrieve it. 

He ran a hand through his lush hair, obviously in some confusion. “Uh, is this your house?”

"Feels like it sometimes. I work for Han." she answered casually, tearing open the cardboard package.

“You do landscaping?"

“No, he just pays me to roll around in the dirt and model ripped jeans.” 

He let out a huff that might have been the start of a laugh. “Sounds like a cushy gig.” 

Rey shot him her most winning smile, and the grin he returned her made her insides flip.

Realization hit her fast, "Holy shit. You're..."

"Ben!" Poe's form was a blur as he streaked across the driveway, launching himself at his brother. The men hugged aggressively.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were coming? And what the hell Rey! You should have yelled for me! Trying to keep him all for yourself?" Poe peeled himself away from Ben and walking over to put an arm around her shoulders, inspecting his brother fondly.

"I was thinking about it" Rey answered, a little more honestly then she intended to. 

Ben’s eyes met hers again. "Rey? Like, little Rey, from next door?" 

"Not so little anymore, huh?" Poe punctuated this line with a smack to her ass. 

"Dick" Rey pushed Poe away playfully. 

Bens eyebrows were raised, "are you two together?" He gestured between Poe and Rey. 

Rey scoffed as Poe’s attention was pulled to the F150 entering the driveway behind Ben's rental. 

"He wishes, I would never date such a prick, only my brother would stoop that low." Rey nodded towards Finn as he stepped out of his truck and exchanged a quick kiss with Poe. Ben obviously recognized him immediately, and they exchanged that most classic of male greetings, the hand grab into a one armed hug. 

"This is nuts, what's it been, man, like, 10 years?" said Finn.

A high-pitched squeal let everyone know that Rose had joined the welcome party. Rey felt an irrational twinge of jealousy as Rose received a brotherly hug from the prodigal son. Rey was the only one who hadn't gotten to touch him, make sure he was real. 

Poe grabbed Finn's hand and gestured for everyone to move into the house, "In we go! Someone order some pizza or Chinese or something, we have a lot to catch up on."

Rey watched as Ben grabbed a pair of khaki duffle bags from his car and then hung back while the others walked inside. He turned, surveying the neighborhood, then caught her looking at him. 

"Feels like nothing's changed." he said, joining her by the door and indicating the caldesac they all grew up in. Then something seemed to catch his eye. "Hold it, why is my Silencer in your driveway?"

"IN WE GO!!" Rey deflected, pushing the sizeable man over the threshold and into the house. 

***

Talking over each other and interrupting constantly, the group caught Ben up on the fact that Leia and Han were away for a few weeks for Hans recuperation. Ben expressed no surprise that his father had been caught messing with a mower in the garage just a day after his discharge from the hospital. Following that, Leia had made the executive decision to whisk Han away to their friend’s beach house to keep him far from temptation.

Someone eventually ordered delivery pizza, and Poe broke into Hans liquor cabinet. 

"On mom's orders we're purging the house of all food and drink on the 'no-no' list." He informed Ben, pulling out his father's prized whiskey and scotch. 

Rose lit the tiki torches on the patio, and the friends gathered around the outside table as the summer light faded. They laughed, ate, and drank together. 

Rey couldn't keep her eyes off of Ben, and throughout the night she kept getting caught in his intense gaze. 

She remembered vividly the last time she had seen him. Ben had come home from basic training for a few weeks before being deployed overseas, with his beautiful hair shaved off and his prominent ears sticking out. The day he left she had watched out of Maz's front window as he hugged his family goodbye in the driveway, and then ducked into the passenger seat of his Dad's Falcon and drove away. And that was all she wrote. For like, a decade. 

Leia made sure to always keep the neighbors updated on Ben's life, of course. Rey knew he had been injured after 2 years of active duty, not seriously, but enough to warrant an honorable discharge from the Marines. She remembers Leia telling Maz she hoped Ben would come home after he left the military hospital in Germany. He didn't. Rey’s fairly sure the story was he got a job with a contractor in Germany and decided to stay overseas. She knows the Organa-Solos had been over to visit him multiple times over the years, but this was the first time he had come home. 

She couldn't stop studying him. He was magnetic. Ben had never been classically handsome, not like his little brother. His nose was too prominent, his sloping jaw not quite symmetrical, and when you got a glimpse of his smile you noticed his teeth were just a little crooked. But when you considered the whole package, everything just worked.

And it wasn't just physical. Sure, he was fit and gorgeous, but she was pleasantly surprised at the easy way in which he was engaging in their joking and teasing. He even seemed to show genuine interest in all their lives. He was still reserved, but he projected confidence in the way that he held himself. He allowed Rey, Poe, Rose, and Finn to run around in an excited buzz, refilling drinks and passing out pizza, as he sat with a soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

When she was a kid she had been enamored of his grunge style and “bad boy” attitude. If "eye roll" was an enneagram personality type it would have been his. Watching him now she couldn't believe he was the same person. Sure, none of us want to be remembered for who we were at 18, but Ben... What a freakin’ glow up.

Rose caught Rey's eye amid Finn telling Ben the story of how he and Poe had started dating, and her eyebrow messaging indicated that she knew the direction of Rey’s thoughts. Whatever. He was basically just as out of reach now as he had been when she had crushed on him when she was a kid. 

But boy, was he a joy to experience, even from a far.


	4. Getting to know you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, my husband found my fanfiction. He's so happy and supportive of it. He's apparently known for awhile but "didn't want to interrupt my creative process". Love you babe. 
> 
> Hope you all like the chapter! More fluff to come!

Ben hadn’t realized how much he had missed home until he turned on to his old street. Memories came flooding back as he drove down Takodana Ct and up to his parent’s old farmhouse. 

He wasn’t surprised to find that his parents weren't home to greet him, he hadn't told anyone he was coming, after all. What did surprise him was the warmth with which he was received home by his brother and his old neighbors. 

Now that he was sitting on the back patio with them, it felt like time was a burden that was slowly lifting from his shoulders. They were all as bright and vibrant as ever. When he was a teen he’d felt this joviality was naiive and false, but now he just wanted to bask in their light.

Finding out Poe and Finn had been together since the end of college was a surprise, but it made him grateful for such a perfect partner for his brother. Why had no one told him about it? Well, probably because he had been screening his family's phone calls for years now. 

After leaving home at 18 he had poured himself into his identity as a Marine. The work was brutal, physically and mentally, but he had found a sense of purpose in the military and a structure that he thrived upon. Everything changed after an incident with a roadside IED sent him from the desert of Afghanistan to the shelter of a military hospital in Germany. He had been so sure he would be able to recover and return to his work, and it was a huge blow to find out he was being honorably discharged from the Marines.

For weeks he had floundered, feeling that if he returned home it would be as though he had somehow failed, but not having any other marketable skills outside of his military experience to find a job. He hadn’t been in a good head space. He guessed that’s why it had felt like a second chance at life when Snoke scouted him for his military contracting team. He had been so grateful for the opportunity to stay in Germany and continue working in his field, that he never questioned if he truly believed in the work he was now being asked to do. 

His mother, who had been moderately supportive of him joining up after high school, had been horrified that he would choose to work for someone with reputation for immorality that Snoke had. His father, well, he hadn’t ever given much weight to what his father thought. Ben made his choice, and he stopped keeping up with the news from his old life, only seeing his family when they would spend the money to journey to Europe every few years. 

Honestly, if his mother hadn't called his office instead of his personal cell the day of Han's hospitalization he may have missed her message. Despite, or maybe because of his strained relationship with his father, when he heard about the heart attack he was overcome with feelings of guilt and regret. He imagining the worst case scenario: Han dying without Ben ever seeing him again. Ben immediately started wrapping up his ongoing projects, and booked a flight home from Germany (much to the displeasure of his superiors).

He had let his years become filled with numbers, strategies, and statistics, he had forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by people who radiated acceptance and happiness. His face hurt from smiling more in the past 3 hours than he had in the past 10 years. How had he forgotten? Poe and Finn were his brothers, and Rose was the sweet little sister he had never had.

Then there was Rey. 

He didn't quite have a label for Rey yet. She was hilarious, sure of herself, and undeniably beautiful. When she had first appeared in front of him, covered in dust and totally unaware of the pieces of grass stuck in her cute three bun hair style, he had been taken totally off guard. He had been preparing himself to see his parents and was instead met with this snarky angel.

Nope. He needed to stop his thoughts there. She was off limits for sure. How old was she now anyways? She had said she only has one more year of nursing school, and no one was batting an eye at her drinking her second glass of whiskey tonight. So, 21 at least.

Ben shook himself, laughing at the end of Finn's tale of him and Poe finding out they had feelings for each other at the climax of a beer pong tournament at a frat party. Sounded like a teen rom com. He was genuinely happy for them.

At the other end of the patio table, Rey and Rose seemed to be having some kind of non-verbal conversation with their eyebrows. 

Ben cleared his throat, and Rey's hazel eyes immediately met his. Unless he was imagining it, they were doing that a lot tonight. 

"So, you wanna tell me why my motorcycle is parked in your driveway, little Rey?" 

Rey grinned at him, she had a killer smile. "I assume you mean MY motorcycle? The one I've been riding since I was 16? 1984 Honda Silencer converted into a bobber. Runs like a dream" she blew him a sarcastic kiss from across the table. 

Ben cocked an eyebrow, "I know it does, I'm the one that converted it. You better be treating her well." 

"She wants for nothing I promise, come visit her anytime you want, I'm sure she wouldn't mind seeing you again." 

"Dad gave it to her for her birthday after she helped him fix the starter in the Falcon" Poe chipped in.  
"You’ve helped Han with the falcon?" Ben questioned, unable to make his eyes leave her fresh face. 

Rey shrugged, "Yea, well, he noticed me and Rose had a talent for things that go 'vroom', so he taught us both about machines. Rose liked the engines, I liked the driving, and he eventually taught me how to ride the Silencer." 

A clearly half drunk Rose added, "Speaking of which, Ben what're you up to tomorrow? Want to help us get some cookies off of some nursing home residents?"

"Jesus, they'll be sending us home with a four tiered cake if we can get HIS shirt off too" burst out Rey, prompting the girls to dissolve into a fit of giggles.

Ben tried to keep a flush from rising on his cheeks. Poe shook his head knowingly at Ben. "Since Dads been laid up Rey's basically been running the business with the rest of us pitching in when we can. We could use your help."

"Yea of course," anything to help Rey. He said that in his head, right? The whiskey was kicking in. 

"How long are you staying in town?" asked Finn, leaning back in his chair and letting his arm fall across Poe’s shoulders. 

Ben didn’t really want to think about that right now, but he answered with, "Works not too pleased I left without giving much notice, but I'm hoping for a few weeks at least. Might be able to convince Snoke to let me work remote for a few months, but he's not the most understanding boss." 

Everyone around the table nodded sympatheticly.

"Well bro, I'm sure you're jet lagged, and we'll need to get an early start to avoid the Correllian summer death heat tomorrow" said Poe, rising from the table and starting to gather up pizza scraps. 

Saying goodnight exuberantly, his neighbors again expressed to Ben how happy they were that he was home. 

Ben lingered on the patio after Finn and Poe went inside, and watched Rey and Rose walk off into the dark arm-in-arm. A buzzing from his back pocket turned his attention to his phone. He answered with a small smile.

"Hey Mom. Yea, I'm home." 

***

The sputter of a mower engine outside of his window jolted Ben from a heavy sleep the next morning. Cursing last night’s whiskey, he rolled out of his small bed and stumbled down the stairs into the kitchen. He froze at the sight of a pair of long legs perched on his parents counter top. Rey was dressed in short green cargo shorts and a white tank top. She hadn't put her hair up for the workday yet, and her chestnut hair fell in loose waves, barely grazing the tops of her tan shoulders. 

"We need a hell of a lot more mulch then we have in the shed at the moment," Rey was in the middle of explaining to Poe, "plus they asked for red. The residents use a lot of terracotta planters and that matches better with red." 

"So we need to hit the supply yard first and probably just fill up the bed of the truck?" responded Poe, sipping what Ben really hoped was the first cup of a large pot of coffee.

"Yea I'll calculate the yardage real quick before we get there. Morning sunshine" perked Rey, noticing Ben standing at the entrance to the kitchen. Oh God. She was a morning person. 

Ben tried to articulate a "good morning" but he was fairly certain he failed, and it just came out as a mumble. 

His brother came to his aid by pointing at the almost full coffee pot on the counter by the fridge. Bless him. While filling a large mug, Ben looked at the oven clock and nearly spilled the coffee on his hand when he saw it was 5am.

"Old men can't old their liquor, aye" Rey teased him, eyes positively sparking in what he now realized was the early dawn light. 

"Maybe not, sweetheart, but we learn other skills that make up for it" he quipped back. His morning brain didn't realize how that might sound until it was already out of his mouth.

Did Rey blush? She was suddenly every interested in her work boots, and Poe raised his eyebrows at him as he took a long drink from his coffee cup. 

Noticing both of them looked dressed and ready for the day, Ben took the cowards way out of the situation and excused himself to go get ready.

He hadn't really packed for outdoor work, so he put back on his clothes from yesterday and borrowed a pair of worn-out boots from his father's closet. They pinched in the toes, but they were better than nothing. 15 minutes later he was crammed into the front bench seat of his Dad's work truck with Rey and Poe.

Poe, being the intuitive ass that he was, made Ben take the middle seat with Rey driving. The cab of the truck was large enough that this didn’t pose a problem until they swung around to the other side of the court to pick up Rose. 

Rose, claiming that she was claustrophobic, refused Ben’s offer to let her be in the middle seat, and instead he was crowed up against Rey for the ride to the supply yard. He couldn’t help but breathe her in, an intoxicating mix of coconut scented sunscreen and vanilla filling his head. Well he was screwed. What was it about this girl? 

Ben was relieved when they finally pulled up in front of the supply yard store. Rose volunteered to stay with the truck, and Ben followed Rey and Poe inside.

This place brought back memories. A dozen aisles filled with all manner of gardening and landscaping supplies, anything you could ever need. 

Rey stopped before they made it to the checkout counter and turned to Ben "Do you have work gloves?" she questioned.

"Shit, no I forgot to grab some of dads extra." No way could he get through a day of manual labor without gloves and not tear up his hands. 

Ben's mind went blank as Rey placed a hand on his bicep, turned him 40 degrees to the right and pushed him towards a large display of gloves. 

"Have at it, big guy" she called after him. He needed to pull himself together. 

Ben and Poe were in the middle of an argument about the most durable brand of work gloves when Ben noticed Rey make a face and suddenly duck into the nearest aisle. 

Curiosity peaked, Ben turned to scan the store. A tall blonde guy had just walked through the shop door and was currently examining the line of shovels by the window. 

"Hey it's Trendy Trevor!" exclaimed Poe. Ben saw a flash of green and some sort of faux potting soil smacked Poe on the side of the face.

"Oh my god, Rey, is he still trying get you to go out again? I'm so sorry. That was totally my bad," Poe apologized.

Ben and Poe moved into the aisle Rey was hiding in and stood on either side of her, blocking anyone's view who might peer down the aisle. 

"Who is Trendy Trevor?" Ben asked, trying to keep his voice disinterested.

Rey rolled her eyes and gestured at Poe, "Just another one of this guy's shitty set ups."

"Hey, Trendy Trevor was at least better than Winky Will." Poe attempted to justify. Turning to Ben he explained, "Rey had a jerk of a first boyfriend in high school, and now refuses to go on more than one date with a guy".

"LIES! I went on like 3 dates with Drummer Dave after you guys ambushed me with him at that after party."  
"Right, but then he introduced you to his family and said, 'Ill miss you', and you ran for the hills." 

Ben saw Rey smirk at that, readjusting her crouching position and throwing a glance at Ben before answering, "I didnt break it off because he said 'ill miss you', I broke it off because he had spindly hands. Guy had like an extra knuckle or something. I wasn't going to look at those hands for the rest of my life"

Poe rolled his eyes, "Because that’s better? No one was expecting you to marry him!”

"I'd rather be alone than waste my time with someone I don't even like, damnit! Is the coast clear?"

After a quick look, Ben and Poe nodded in agreement, and Rey took off towards the checkout counter, grabbing the pair of gloves Ben had picked out of his hands on her way.

They watched her scamper across the floor, staying low, and then pop up in front of the sales clerk, totally casual. She was something. 

"At least the girl has standards," Poe remarked. 

Ben wondered vaguely what Rey thought of his hands. Looking down, he flexed his fingers, and then felt Poe's gaze on him. 

Looking over, he saw Poe's signature shit eating grin spread across his face. 

"Oh this is gonna be cute." Ben frowned at him. No one called Ben "cute".

"Don't worry Benny boy, I think she set all her standard by you in the first place. If anyone has a chance, it's 'emo Ben'." Without giving Ben time to protest, Poe turned and started towards the door, chuckling heartily to himself.

Poe had always been way too attuned to Ben’s thoughts.


	5. You don't know you're beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's POV.

At the check out counter, Rey added Ben's work gloves to Hans tab and gave Sandy the load order for the red mulch.

Of course, Poe would bring up her love life in front of Ben. What a Neanderthal. Ben probably didn't even care, but he was still practically a stranger to her! And now he is going to think she's some kind of man-eater with no feelings.

She was so distracted at being pissed with Poe that she didn't notice when she nearly ran right into Trendy Trevor on her way out of the storefront.

"Hey Rey! You haven't answered any of my texts. Did I get your number right?"

Rey caught herself mid eye roll. She should still be civil, even if this was the third time she had tried to shut this guy down. "Yea Trevor, I saw your texts. I'm just not interested."

The asshat brushed off her words, "Sure, sure, but there's this new restaurant that just opened up right on the river walk downtown, they're working for a Michelin Star, I'd love to take you..."

Rey was gearing herself up to tell this guy off, civility be damned, when Trevor stopped mid sentence. He was looking at something over her shoulder, and before she could turn to look, she felt a large hand on her waist pull her close to a warm body. She slowly lifted her eyes to Ben's. What was he doing? Not that she was complaining...

"Sweetheart are we all set?" he asked her pointedly.

"Oh yea, uh, Trevor this is Ben. We were just leaving. Sorry things didn't work out." Rey stammered out, trying to look like this wasn't as much of a surprise to her as it was to Trevor. 

Trendy Trevor frowned but nodded, and Ben led her towards the door, keeping his hand possessively around waist her until they were out in the open.  
As soon as his hand dropped away, she missed it. That was different. She usually hated men touching her. So many guys seemed to think that because she was young and didn't have a ring on her finger she was up for grabs, literally.

Rey turned to Ben and watched curiously as he ran his hand through his soft looking hair and avoided making eye contact with her. He was usually so confident, was he embarrassed? 

"Sorry for that, just seemed like he wasn't getting the message" he explained awkwardly. 

"I could have handled him, but thank you. I can't tell you how many times I've told him 'no'. He's just one of those guys who thinks you're playing hard to get." Rey tossed Ben his new gloves, trying to get him to loosed up a little. 

"It was so obvious you were uncomfortable; I don't know where that guy gets off." Ben huffed.

They started towards the truck. Rey could see the front-end loader heading their way with the first bucket full of mulch.

"About what Poe said," she started, not really understanding why she felt the need to explain the uncomfortable situation they had found themselves in earlier, "it's not like I don't give guys a chance, I can just tell pretty quickly if someone isn't for me. With school I don’t have a lot of free time, and I’d rather spend it with my friends… or napping" she joked. They were walking side-by-side, and Rey had to speed up to keep up with Ben's long strides. 

"Rey, you don't need to explain yourself to me. Poe found his person. I think he probably forgets what it's like being on your own, but not wanting just any warm body to keep you from feeling alone. I think it's great that you know what you want, who you want." 

She looked over at him, surprised at how quickly he seemed to grasp a concept her friends still had trouble accepting.

"Right.” She responded enthusiastically, “It’s funny, I always feel like I have this wall up with new people. I don’t do it on purpose, I think I just learned a long time ago that not everyone is worth showing your whole self to.”

"And in the meantime you're surrounded by plenty of people who love you, you're not alone," completed Ben. At some point they had both slowed to a stop. 

She waited until he met her eyes. "Neither are you" she told him firmly.

Ben looked like he wanted to argue that point, but kept his mouth shut. Rey wasn't sure how long they stood, just considering each other's faces, before she heard Rose calling them to get back in the truck. 

Stuffed back into the front seat of the truck, Rey was hyper aware of every place on her body that was touching Ben. The connection she felt growing between them every passing minute was disconcerting. Sure, she had a huge crush on him when she was a kid, but after he had left that had faded as her memory of him did. This was something different. His presence was reassuring and steadying, and at the same time filled her with a nervous excitement that told her this was someone she could let down her guard with. He just fit. 

She should have known that Poe wouldn't let her off so easy about Trevor.

As they pulled out of the parking lot and merged onto the busy street, Poe popped his head out from 2 seats down. "Trendy Trevor have a new Yelp! review for you Rey?" This time Rey didn't surpress her instinct to roll her eyes. 

"That guys just terrible!" sympathized Rose. "You know, Hux told me after the first time you shut him down that Trevor is notorious for not taking 'no' for an answer"

Rey caught Ben's confused look out of the corner of her eye, "Hux? The red headed guy from high school?"

"Yea that's Rose's man" Rey teased in a singsong voice, Rose flushing happily. 

"He graduated with me, didn't he? Isn't he a little old for you Rose" Ben asked. 

Ouch.

Poe jumped in for Rose's defense, "Mom and dad are like 10 years apart."

"Age is just a number, it all evens out. As long as you're on the same page about the important stuff then it shouldn't matter" Rose stated as a matter of fact.

Rey smiled supportively at her best friend, internally processing Ben's reaction. Did Ben really think age differences mattered that much? Was she just imagining the moments they kept having? No. She would trust her own instinct when it came to Ben, and let the chips fall as they would. She was no Trendy Trevor, but she did love a challenge. 

***

The Harrison's lawn only needed mowing and weed whacking, so the crew were done quickly and made it to Sunset Pines by 9am.

Jumping the curb, Rey drove the truck and trailer straight onto the lush lawn, around the long building, and backed it up to the large flower beds lining the back decking. 

A group of ladies could be seen stretching on their yoga mats on the patio, many of them turning and waving at the group of landscapers. Rey caught a glimpse of neon orange, and as Ben and Poe started unloading the trailer, the girls climbed the stairs to greet their favorite resident. 

BeeBee was queen of Sunset Pines. Always easy to spot in a crowd, she dressed in the brightest colors around and accessorized to the nines. Today it was a neon orange velour tracksuit, complete with a set of pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. Grabbing the girls each in turn, the little old lady gave them sophisticated double cheek kisses, leaving behind bright red lipstick prints.

"Look at my angels coming in here like the goddesses of youth. How are you sweet things?" Before they could answer, Rey saw Beebee's large fashion sunglasses turn in the direction of the truck. 

"Girl, girls, what's this I see? Did you bring me some fresh eye candy? Where do you find these young men, I have to know!" Moving faster than should be possible for an 80 year old in platform sandals, BeeBee sent off towards the truck.

"Did we warn Ben about this?" Rey tried to remember. 

"Too late now," said Rose. Giggling, they followed BeeBee back to the truck. 

"...Military you say? Of course I should have known, it's the physique. My late husband, Bobby, was in the Air Force during World War Two, and after he left the service he kept himself very fit throughout his whole life. The very morning of the day he died, I saw him carrying the 60lb bag of pig feed out to the barn. Magnificent man." Rey could hear BeeBee espousing to Ben and Poe as they approached. She had a well-manicured hand around Poe's bicep and was very obviously appraising Ben.

"Bobby and BeeBee?" commented Ben. Coming up next to him, Rey smacked his arm and he laughed.

BeeBee sighed, "You two are so sweet, young love blesses everyone who sees it. You all keep me young." 

Rey could feel the heat rising in her face, but pushed through the first shock of embarrassment. "What, me and this old man? We just pay him to model ripped jeans and look pretty." 

Ben smirked down at her, making her heart stutter. "I'm getting paid? That's news to me."

Rey beamed back at him. “Only if you stop flirting with the residents and get your new gloves dirty.” 

Sauntering over to the trailer, she tossed him back a shovel. Poe gently extricated BeeBee’s hand from his bicep, and lead her, protesting, back towards the patio and up onto the deck. Rose wandered around to the cab of the truck and plugged in the portable speaker, cuing up her favorite landscaping playlist.

They all worked well together, weeding, edging, and spreading fresh mulch in the flower beds. Rey and Rose had to pause occasionally when their favorite songs would come on through the speaker, but Poe and Ben didn’t seem to mind. They shook their heads and shared a laugh as the girls used their rakes as microphones, dancing around to the newest One Direction hit.

“YOU DON’T KNOW YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL!!!!”


	6. Language of love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2012  
> Ben's POV

Ben thought the others had been exaggerating about the amount of sweets the residents of Shady Pines would send home with them, until they started packing up for the day. Tubberware full of cookies, tarts, and brownies were shoved into their arms or snuck into their truck behind their backs as they said goodbye to the eccentric BeeBee and her friends after finishing their landscaping work. 

Ben thought he had gotten off pretty easy after catching sight of BeeBee pinching Poe's butt, but he had counted his chickens too soon. As he rounded the truck to hop into the cab, he was blinded by an orange tracksuit blocking his way. 

"You be good to my sweet Rey now, you hear" BeeBee pointed a glittering finger sternly into his chest. Before he had a chance to protest, he was being kissed stickily on the cheek and ushered into the cab with a swift pat to his bum. 

Stunned, he sat blankly in the front seat as Rey clambered in next to him. He must still have had lipstick residue on his cheek, because when she looked over at him she bursted out laughing.

"Oh my god, you poor thing. I thought you could handle yourself, Solo. I guess the Marines don't teach you how to handle touchy old ladies, huh?" 

He tried in vain to wipe the lipstick off if his cheek with the back of his hand. "You could've helped me out! After Trent, or whatever his name was, you couldn't just pretend you didn't want another lady's paws on me?"

Ben watched Rey's face grow soft, and she leaned across him to grab a napkin out of the glove box. Ben tensed at her proximity. Rey straightened back up, wetting the napkin with water from her water bottle, and began to gently wipe his cheek. "I'm sorry sweetheart, I'll do better next time."

Ben felt his face grow hot, but kept his eyes trained on her face. He knew she was teasing him, but he loved hearing her use a pet name for him. She made him feel light, unselfconcious... happy. His face was starting to hurt from smiling and laughing so much today. 

The moment was interrupted by Poe and Rose shaking the truck as they climbed in to join them. Rey turned quickly away from him and started the engine, kicking the truck into gear as they lumbered back towards the parking lot. Ben couldn't stop sneaking glances at her as they drove.

He thought for a moment this morning that he might have already messed up what ever this was that was happening between them (he was past pretending it wasn't something). He was such an idiot to comment on the age difference between Rose and Hux. He was pretty sure Rey was even younger than Rose. He was always self sabatoging.

But sweet, thoughtful, goofy Rey didn't seem to let it get to her. He was very thankful for that. When she had opened up to him earlier that morning he had for the hundredth time since meeting her again been blown away. How could someone be so apparently care free, but also so wise and thoughtful. 

Ben didn't realize he had been staring at Rey until he felt a tug at his sleeve from Poe, "Ben you speak some German and Arabic, right? What's the hardest language to learn?"

Ben tried to pretend like he had been following the conversation the whole time, "Uh, probably English. Our language makes no sense half the time." 

Everyone else in the car laughed. 

"Truth! Like words that have 2 opposite meanings, that drives me nuts," supported Rey. "Cleave is the dumbest word. It means to break apart and to put together. Who's idea was that?"

"Yea yea, sanction does that too!" exclaimed Roae

"Oversight is one" said Ben. 

"You know what really pisses me off? That flammable and inflammable mean the same thing. What is that?" Contributed Poe. 

Smiling, Rey looked across Ben down towards her friend. "See Rose? You already know the hardest language, so you'll be fine!" encouraged Rey.

"I don't know, I think maybe I should just withdraw my application. I've never had to speak another language before." Rose sulked on the other side of the truck. 

"What job is this for?" Ben questioned.

"It's an aerospace engineering company that does a lot of custom work for clients in Sweden and Norway and places like that," explained Rose. "During my interview they asked if I had an 'aptitude for language's' and of course I said yes... what else am I going to say in an interview?" 

Ben frowned at her negative tone. "I'm sure you would be an asset to their company, Rose. You're intelligent and hard-working, things like languages are secondary in those industries. Technology transcends language, and you know technology." 

Rose perked up at his encouragement, and Ben could feel Rey's eyes on the side of his face. Turning to look at her he was surprised to see her eyes shining. 'Thank you' she mouthed. 

****

Back at the house they unloaded the trailer and separated out the goodies from the nursing home.

Ben was sitting on the bench in the mudroom, unlacing his boots and looking forward to a cool shower, when he noticed Rey slip into the room and shut the door behind her.

"I wanted to thank you for what you said to Rose in the car" she started, making her way over to sit next to him on the bench. "She's really felt discouraged this summer with her interviews. Its such a male dominated field shes trying to break into. I think what you said made a big difference."

Ben swallowed hard, trying not to be aware that this was the first time they had been totally alone. He gave a shrug that he hoped seemed casual, "It was nothing, I was just stating the obvious."

Rey scooted closer and reached towards his face, Ben sitting perfectly still as she moved closer. She pulled a piece of mulch from his hair. "Well, it meant a lot. Seems Ben Solo is not just a pretty face." 

Ben could barely take a breath, she was so close he could see flecks of green in her eyes. 

"Excuse me, I'm definitely just a pretty face," he answered. Her face broke into a breathtaking smile and he could have sworn her eyes flickered down to his mouth. 

"Rey, I..."

"Hey Ben," Ben and Rey quickly scooted to opposite ends of the bench as Poe opened the mudroom door and stuck his head in. "Mom is trying to get you to pick up your phone, I think she's nervous you're going to catch the next plane to Timbuktu before they get to see you... what's this?" Poe look suspiciously between Ben and Rey. 

Ben toed off his boots and made his way to over to Poe. "Tell her I'm not going anywhere, and go clean up, you stink." He shoved Poe's head back out of the door and turned back to Rey who was looking as flustered as he felt.

"I better head home and get cleaned up too." 

"You're coming back over for dinner, right?" he tried to keep his voice even as Rey approached him, holding his gaze.

"Why don't you and Poe come to ours for dinner?" Ben felt Rey's hand close over his forearm and his mind went blank. "I know Maz would love to see you. And you can say 'Hi' to my silencer." 

"Yea, no, of course" he coughed out. Real smooth. 

Giving his arm a squeeze Rey ducked out of the mudroom and headed out the side door towards her home. 

Ben was too caught up in watching her leave and thinking about how much his world had changed in 24 hours to notice Poe coming to stand next to him. 

"Im not positive what's going on, but I feel like it's my obligation to warn you that if you hurt her you'll have me and Finn to answer to." Ben was surprised at his brothers serious tone. 

"Excuse me?" he raised an eyebrow at Poe. 

The younger man puffed out his chest and wagged a finger in his face. "I'm serious. She's like my little sister, Ben. I love you, and you're my blood, but I will do my best to beat the snot out of you if you hurt her." 

Ben snorted at the idea, "Okay Poe. But you don't have to worry about it, I'm not planning on hurting anyone." 

"I know man," Poe faded back to his regular demeanor. "But I don't think you know how much people love you, and what it feels like when you leave." 

"Oh" was the only lame response Ben could muster. Was Poe speaking from experience? They had always gotten along well, but Ben growing up had felt like a wet blanket to Poe's good time. He had convinced himself that keeping far away from his family's lives had been the best thing for everyone.

"Shower, then food?" Poe questioned. 

"Oh yea, actually Rey invited us over for dinner tonight" Ben remembered.

"Ah, so generous of her," Poe's knowing looks were getting old and shook Ben free from his guilty train of thought. He shoved his brother's shoulder in the direction of the stairs. 

"Shower, now!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break, like everyone else in the worl, 2020 has been crazy for me and my family. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, written and edited in the haze of nightshift. No beta, be kind!
> 
> I want to shout out to all my fellow fan fiction writers. Thanks for your stories and words, they keep me highly entertained and inspire me to want to keep creative writing. All the love.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Will update as I have time to write. All the love.


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